The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-09-03
A MODERN COLUMBUS.
The London Times Awakens to the Discov
cry of America.

The London Times Awakens to the Discov-
cry of America.
Cable Special to the New York World.
The London Times has discovered" America
1t announces to-day in editorial of over a col
umn in length that it has undertaken the enter
prise of sending bold and tried correspondent
through 'the unknown country of the United
States to make report upon the marvels of
this wonderful country" It prints to-day
three-column description of New York harbor
and of Madison square. Other letters are in
hand from the same correspondent. who, the
editor says. will describe this wonderful people
at what seems to be the most wonderful moment
of its material expansion and development, when
the most active branch of the human race has
found itself suddenly put in possession of
bounded physical resources and when it is un-
dertaking the task of developing these resources
with an energy and a success of which the world
has never before known the equal"
Upon the information furnished by this inves-
tigation the Times had published the most eulo-
CYSTIC editorial upon the United States that has
ever appeared in any English newspaper. After
picturlng the tremendous progress of coun-
try, 1t says: 'lt is impossible reads any
such account as our correspondent is about
give to refrain from asking whi ther all this
progress is tending and what will be it's result
upon the American people themselves and upon
mankind in general Merely to state the aues-
ton is to imply that it is one to which time alone
can furnish answer. The future is obscure
enough every where, but In a country where the
past has been so productive of rapid change it
must be still more inscrutable. What most
cupies the minds of the reflective among
the citizens OF the American Re-
public is the question whether their social
ganization will be able after a while to stand
the strain of this extraordinary developement.
Till now it may be said that the progress has
been comparatively a small affair for the reason
that the supply of land was practically unlimit-
ed, and that new settlements could De found at
pleasure for new settlers Already, however,
this is ceasing to be the case, and, although the
land still continues to be. in most parts OF the
continent. extremely cheap, iS can no longer be
had for nothing. With every year its price will
rise, aud with every year the population will
increase. The danger, of course, is that serious
labor troubles may be the result of any check
upon the developement of the country, which,
after while. must almost inevitably come
:, 1t is often said by the Americans themselves
that their whole political and social constitution
as established by the fathers of the Republic
was based upon the theory that men
pretty nearly equal; and that there neither
were nor would be any great differences of
wealth, or of intellect or of character Modern
New York is however. the very negation of
equality. since it contains at once the poorest
and richest population OF any city in the world.
VIII American institutions, then, be able per-
manently to stand in the face of the inevitable
pressure from below, which must when
labor, unable to find ready and perpetual en-
Dloymens at good wages, begins seriously to
organize itselfl Side by side with this
groups of problems. scarcely less important.
such as the effect OF the continuance
OF the rolicy of protection, and the effect of the
probably increasing divergence OF interest be-
tween the West and East In one word. there
pleuty of rocks ahead. But on the other
hand. the American branch of the English
has shown itself mp the present time wonder
fully well equipped for dealing with its own po-
litical Problems, ana there seems to be no reason
why any but hopeful view should be taken of
its powers of so doing in future. For il must be
renem bAred that. though every nation pours it's
emigrants into America, It is the English
which is dominant there. A single generation
Is enough TO turn the German or Swed-
ish settler into thoroughbred American,
assimlated to his native-born neighbors The
Irish American is the difficult individual,
but even he, after two generations of lobbying
and Political Intriguing. usually settles down
into ordinary citizen and becomes a hard
working man of business with a proper con-
tempt for political bosses. Ir is this extra